Drinks of the Millennium

Four years ago, my then-girlfriend (now wife; we didn't break up or
anything) and I threw a New Year's party for the turn of the millennium
(1)
which was probably the best house party I will ever be involved in. As
part of the preparations, we created a bunch of drink recipes to align
with the "Apocalyptic and Mythological Events" motif we were working
with. However, the recipe chart disappeared in the aftermath of the
party (which was pretty aftermathtastic. People were sleeping in the
backs of pickup trucks, curled up over heating vents ... it was a
mess).

However, just recently,
said chart turned up again. And, it being New Year's again, I thought
I'd share these concoctions with the world. Some are good. Some are
horrendous. I'm not going to tell you which is which, though.

Special Ingredients

We made chile vodka for this party, which basically involves crushing
up some chile peppers (I think we used serrano) into a bottle, filling
it with vodka, and letting it steep for a few weeks.

It's interesting.

Measurements

I'm giving amounts in ounces, but by the standards I know, a shot is an
ounce and a half. So convert accordingly as you will. Similarly, a
splash is a variable measure, but when I say "1/4 oz.", you can add a
splash and it'll be fine.

The Drinks

St. George and the Dragon

Ingredients: Chile vodka, vermouth, crushed ice

Shake 1 1/2 oz. of chile
vodka with a splash of vermouth, and pour into a martini glass over
crushed ice.

Half-Life

Mix 3/4 oz. of rum with 3/4 oz. of Midori in a tumbler. Add 1 1/2 oz.
of orange juice and club soda to taste.

Howdy-Ho

Place a fun-size Baby Ruth in the bottom of a large coffee mug. Pour
over 1 1/2 oz. of whiskey and fill with coffee.

We have these big, wide,
white ceramic coffee cups that are fabulous for this drink. Watching
people's surprise as they discover skid marks in their Irish coffee is
an experience every host should have at least once.

Variant:
Howdy-Ho 2000: Add 1 1/2 oz. of
peppermint schnapps for a more alcoholic version with a minty freshness
that can't be beat. (We tried adding some blue Curacao for the true
2000-flushes experience, but it doesn't show up in the coffee.)

Donner Party

Mix 1 1/4 oz of Jagermeister with 1/4 oz. of peppermint schnapps in a
shotglass.

Halley's Comet

Blend 1 1/2 oz. of rum
and 1 oz. of grenadine with ice and Coca-Cola to taste. Serve in a
highball glass and garnish with an ice cube.

Atlantis

Mix 3/4 oz. each of peach schnapps, blue curacao, and Midori in a
highball glass and fill with Fresca.

Tunguska Blast

The Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen are a set of four shots, meant to be drunk in rapid
sequence. I am, to my knowledge, the only person who's actually done
it. I'm much better now.

War:
Fill a shotglass with 1 oz. of tomato juice and 1/2 oz. of chile vodka.Famine:
Fill a shotglass with equal parts tequila and orange juice.Pestilence:
Fill a shotglass with equal parts Midori and peach schnapps.Death:
Fill a shotglass with equal parts Kahlua and prune juice.

(1)Somewhere
out there, someone is feeling superior because ignorant me doesn't know
that the true turn of the millennium came a year later. Personally, I
look at it as the odometer turning over on the calendar, and no one
gathers around to watch the car turn over to 100,001 miles.